Cytoglobin (CYGB)

Cytoglobin is a globin molecule located in the brain and most notably utilised in marine mammals. It is thought to be a method of protection under conditions of hypoxia. The predicted function of cytoglobin is the transfer of oxygen from arterial blood to the brain.
Cytoglobin is a ubiquitously expressed hexacoordinate hemoglobin that may facilitate diffusion of oxygen through tissues, scavenge nitric oxide or other reactive oxygen species, or serve a protective function during oxidative stress (Trent and Hargrove, 2002). CYGB expression can be used as a specific marker with which hepatic stellate cells can be distinguished from portal myofibroblasts in the damaged human liver.